pagespicsSmall Steps in Street Photography
Posted on December 11, 2017
Habits
I have recently purchased a book on habits. How to make habits, and how to break them. What grabbed my attention was the focus on goal setting. We live in a time where we are consistently told to set goals. Ideas grounded in common sense theory trickle down to become engraved in stone; ‘write down your goals, and you will achieve them.’ Yeah right! What has this got to do with Street Photography? Well, this post is about where my thoughts are taking me. Maybe it will ring true with some of you. Read More
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #10
Posted on December 5, 2017
“It may look like I’m just pointing the camera at what’s in front of me. But I’m trying to photograph what people see, but don’t notice – something that’s mysterious and unknown in everyday life.” Daido Moriyama
Daido Moriyama
So far my ‘top ten list’ has looked very white, perhaps reflecting history itself, often represented from this viewpoint. I know of few iconic photographers who are people of colour, although there are some incredibly talented Black and Asian contemporary artists out there. If I am wrong, please let me know of some artists I can study. On this note, I am writing about Moriyama, a Tokyo-based Japanese artist.
Moriyama, in front of two of his more famous photographs.
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #9
Posted on November 29, 2017
Robert Capa
“What’s the point of getting killed if you’ve got the wrong exposure?”
Robert Capa
Robert Capa founded Magnum Photography, and as such is included in this series. Calling Capa Street Photographer does not do him or his work justice. Capa was a journalistic war correspondent. I include him in this series as his photos capture human activity and life on the streets. As Street Photographers, we can learn a lot from him.
Robert Capa
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #8
Posted on November 21, 2017
Ian Berry
The whole point to me of 35 mm photography is to remain unobserved, working with available light, discovering pictures while a scene is in motion. – Ian Berry
Who is Ian Berry?
Ian Berry is a Magnum photographer, I am guessing you are now getting the picture of where I look for inspiration! I discovered Ian Berry’s work in Shanghai, through an exhibition of his work that ran alongside that of Bruno Barbey. Ian Berry is a Journalistic photographer. However, if you look at his photography and read the quote at the top of this page, you will see that he treads on the ground of Street Photographers.
Ian Berry
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #6
Posted on November 16, 2017
Martin Parr
Martin Parr takes satirical photos of everyday life. On the surface, his work can be humorous, scratch a little deeper and you will start to discover messages relating to life and society. Parr is much more than a Street Photographer, yet his work will usually fall tightly within this category. Magnum Photography accepted Parr as a member in 1988, and he made it by just one vote. He is now the group’s director. He has published too many books to mention, and I don’t yet own any. I feel another Amazon shop coming on!
Martin Parr (Wikimedia Commons)
INSPIRATIONAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHER #5
Posted on November 15, 2017
Dorothea Lange
Yesterday’s article caused a lot of self-searching. The day ended with a shopping spree on Amazon, where I purchased a book by Nan Golding, a photographer who also took photos on the fringes of society. Today, I am playing it a little safe and telling the tale of Dorothea Lange and the Migrant Woman. It is a tale often told with a happy(ish) ending and stands as a lesson for Street and Journalistic photographers. Spoiler – by the time I finished the article I found out more than I wanted to.
The Migrant Worker
Lange worked as a photojournalist for the American government’s Farm Security Administration. Her photos would help shape policy and create working documents; these documents soon stood as pieces of art. Lange gained her position with the FSA through her photography of the homeless and unemployed, visiting soup kitchens during the American Great Depression. As a child, Lange contracted polio and walked with a limp, citing the disease as something that, “instructed me, helped me and humiliated me.” Perhaps it was her non-threatening stance, caused by the disease, which led to the migrant worker dropping her defences and allowing her photo to be taken. Maybe the migrant women could read that Lange was there to help. Alternatively, the lady was just too tired as she had been feeding her family on frozen vegetables plucked from the soil, and wild birds caught by her hungry children.
Migrant Worker, Photograph by D. Lange
Inspirational Street Photographer #4
Posted on November 14, 2017
“My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.” – Diane Arbus
For a series of articles on Street Photographers, I appear to be working hard to avoid anybody who would have described themselves using this term. However, what is Street Photography if not a tool to look at the world? Diane Arbus focused on those living on the edges of society; dwarfs, those with intellectual disabilities, the LGBT community, nudist and circus performers. Arbus suffered severe bouts of depression throughout her career. She ended her life in 1971, slashing her wrists after taking barbiturates.
Curls, Photograph by Dianne Arbus
Inspirational Street Photographer #3
Posted on November 13, 2017
“Taking pictures is savouring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” – Marc Riboud
Marc Riboud
I am a little daunted writing this piece. I first came upon the work of Riboud at a small exhibition in Shanghai. The exhibition left me speechless, in particular, the photo below which was the headline of the show. Riboud did not subscribe to the model of ‘Street Photographer’ and his Times obituary described him as a humanist. Studying his photographs, you can see strong connections with his subjects, whom he often revisited after their photographs were published. Riboud also had the Magnum ‘magic’, enabling him to blend in and create powerful candid images. He was a core member of Magnum and died aged 93. His work in China was groundbreaking, and he gained access to many locations previously out of bounds. A photo of a nude at a Chinese art school led to controversy, with the Chinese government claiming no such place existed.
View from an antique dealer. My favourite Street Photo ever.
Inspirational Street Photographers #2
Posted on November 12, 2017
Steve McCurry
“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is some of the great pictures happen along the journey and not necessarily at your destination.”
Steve McCurry
McCurry would probably not call himself as a street photographer and has described himself as a visual storyteller. He has also undertaken various journalistic projects, is a Magnum Photographer and has published numerous books. McCurry has worked extensively in India over the past 30 years, and published a book called; wait for it, ‘India’. This is a book I have recently purchased, treasure and dribble over.
Photograph by Steve McCurry. Taken from his book, ‘India’.
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